The Island ~ Where People are Forgetting to Die?

Good Friday morning to you.

Short post to end our week.  Our second week at MWT!

I am fascinated by Dan Buettner’s incredible work. You may not recognize his name instantly, but I bet you’ve heard of the “Blue Zones”.

What are Blue Zones? In 2000 – Italian scientist, Dr. Pes, and Belgian demographer, Dr. Poulain, drew concentric circles in blue ink on a map to illustrate areas in the world with high concentrations of centenarians. Pes and Poulain are Dan Buettner’s partners and collaborators.

Where are these Blue Zones? Some longevity hotspots include: Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Loma Linda, California (Seventh-day Adventists); and Ikaria, Greece.

The Island Where People Forget to Die is an incredible article written by Dan Buettner for the New York Times back in 2012. I have posted the link for you to read the article in its entirety. Printed out, the article is 11 pages. Well worth your while. I keep a copy of it in my Favorite Reading File.

Stamatis Moraitis is a citizen from the Greek island of Ikaria. The NYT article is a story about Moraitis who was diagnosed by a team of doctors (in his mid-60’s) with terminal cancer when living in the USA. Because he only had months to live, he decided to go back to his homeland of Ikaria to die.

After 25 years of living on the Greek island, he went back to visit his American doctors. He wanted an explanation of how the cancer just went away. When Buettner asked him what his physician’s response was…Stamatis replied, “My doctors were all dead.”

What is Ikaria’s ‘secret sauce’ to longevity? And I mean – quality longevity without debilitating ailments or diseases. Please know, I am not advocating that anyone replicate this Greek culture here in America or follow Stamatis’ course of action. But I do find their story both intriguing and educational.

The citizens of Ikaria wake up naturally, go to bed late, and take afternoon naps. They plant vegetable gardens (eat a lot of beans) and drink ‘mountain tea’. They, also, drink wine in moderation and like their 2-3 cups of coffee. Fish is a staple. And predictably, they consume large amounts of olive oil. Walking is not deemed a planned exercise, but a means to get around the hilly terrain. They are not rushed or in a hurry. In the evenings, they visit neighbors. A community of ‘us’, not ‘me’. On Sundays, they attend church. These islanders’ ecosystem supports their ability to “forget to die.”

(I tried to summarize their lifestyle. But do read the article. I can’t do it justice in a blog. It is really that good!)

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/magazine/the-island-where-people-forget-to-die.html

Happy Easter to you!

On Monday, we’ll finish up with ‘de-clutterization’.

Next week, I have a post to introduce my 2 canine sons and something just for parents of high school seniors.